1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a percussion instrument having at least one drum board, and relates to an electronic percussion instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in the prior art documents 1 and 2 listed below, there has conventionally been known a percussion instrument (hereinafter referred to as the prior art percussion instrument or the prior art electronic percussion instrument) having drum boards such as pads and adapted for compact storage when it is not in use.
Prior art document 1: LM business department, planning and promotion office, GD administration division, brochure “DRUMS ABSOLUTELY HANDCRAFTED”, Yamaha Corporation, created October 2005, pages 37-38
Prior art document 2: “YAMAHA DRUM WEB MAGAZINE (online)”, Silent Session Drum DTXPRESSIII (searched Feb. 6, 2006), Internet <URL: http://www.yamaha.co.jp/product/drum/column/co103103101/index.html>
The prior art percussion instrument includes two rod-like support pillars thereof coupled through a coupling member to each other, drum board mounting members thereof attached to the support pillars and the coupling member, and drum boards thereof mounted to the drum board mounting members. Each of the drum board mounting members can be mounted, using screws, to a corresponding one of the support pillars and the coupling member in the desired position at the desired pivotal angle.
At the time of a musical performance, a positional adjustment of the drum boards is performed by operating the drum board mounting members with screws loosened/tightened to realize an unfolded configuration suitable for musical performance. On the other hand, at the time of storage of the percussion instrument, the screws at the drum board mounting members are loosened and the drum boards are displaced to the desired positions which are between the two support pillars, for example, and at which the drum boards are prevented from being bulky, whereupon the screws at the drum board mounting members are tightened.
However, with the prior art percussion instrument, a bass drum is difficult to be stored together with the other drum boards at the time of storage of the percussion instrument. In addition, a laborious operation must be made for the respective drum boards such as loosing the screws at the drum board mounting members, adjusting the position of the drum board, and tightening the screws.
In the course of storage of the percussion instrument, the positions and orientations of the respective drum boards are not fixed but are variable depending on the positions and pivotal angles of the drum board mounting members. In order to compactly fold all the drum boards, the respective drum boards must be folded into desired positions in an appropriate order.
For some drum boards such as a snare drum and a hi-hat cymbal which are closely arranged to each other, the order and positions in which and to which they are folded must be appropriately selected. Otherwise these drum boards sometimes interfere with one another, making it difficult to compactly fold them. However, it is difficult for a user to appropriately select the order and positions in which and to which the drum boards are folded, posing a problem that the entire percussion instrument cannot be compactly stored with ease.
Conventionally, an electronic percussion instrument generally comprises drum boards such as pads, which are percussion units, and is arranged to electrically produce a musical tone using a sound generation unit such as speakers when any drum board is struck. The aforesaid prior art electronic percussion instrument comprises a sound generation unit including an amplifier system and configured separately from a drum board set. During musical performance, the sound generation unit is disposed on the floor or the like near the drum board set.
However, the prior art electronic percussion instrument requires electric wiring that extends from the drum board set to the sound generation unit or to a circuit board in the sound generation unit. Thus, a laborious wiring operation is required. In addition, the visual quality of the percussion instrument is lowered since the electric wiring is seen from outside.
With the prior art electronic percussion instrument, the sound generation unit is disposed near the drum board set but is spaced away from the individual drum boards. Thus, the striking positions and musical tone generating positions are spaced far away from one another. As compared to an acoustic drum, there is an odd feeling with regard to sound generation positions, posing a problem of lack of reality.
In addition, the prior art percussion instrument requires the provision of extension members and narrow rod-like members that are used to set up the percussion instrument in a vertical configuration for musical performance and are dismounted at the time of storage of the percussion instrument, thus causing a problem of laborious vertical se-up and storage operations.